Expert Quote

"Clearly this is the No. 1 public health issue on the radar screen,"
said Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, who advises the government on infectious disease threats.

About the Project

Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina:

No one disagrees that the federal, state and local response to Hurricane Katrina was wholly inadequate. The televised images of people stranded in New Orleans without food, water, or shelter or means to evacuate, and nearly a thousand deaths due to thirst, exposure and exhaustion leave no doubt that something went terribly wrong. Now, we are on the verge of another emergency. Can we apply lessons learned from the events of Hurricane Katrina in order to prepare for an influenza pandemic?

Pandemics happen globally, but must be managed at the state and local level. We have the opportunity to become the first generation in history to prepare for a pandemic. The state of Wisconsin has been provided $1,831,224 from the U.S. government to plan and prepare for an influenza pandemic. Is Oshkosh or Winnebago County receiving funds to prepare? What are the Board of Health in Oshkosh and Winnebago County doing to prepare for an influenza pandemic?

In regards to an influenza pandemic, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt has said "you will be largely on your own." This is your opportunity to take time to learn how you and others in this community can prepare for a possible influenza pandemic. Students will work in groups of five in order to address the following questions. The "plan" created by each group will be presented in the form of a poster during the last week of the semester. A formal discussion will also be conducted on the same day.

Presentation used to introduce the project to the students.